Taylor Frankie Paul, 32, has quit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives ahead of Season 6, days after announcing her return.
The reversal comes after Paul allegedly failed a Utah Court-ordered drug test during her ongoing custody battles with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, and her ex-husband, Tate Paul. Paul and Mortensen share a son; Paul and Tate share a son and a daughter.
Paul, whom ABC cast and then fired as the Bachelorette in March, has received a firestorm of scrutiny after a 2023 video surfaced of Paul throwing several chairs and punches at Mortensen while her baby was in the room. Both custody battles began before the video leaked; a police investigation into domestic violence allegations Paul and Mortensen made against each other paused filming for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Though a court granted them mutual restraining orders, neither faced charges.
The scandal led to various online feuds among Mormon Wives cast members, with Mikayla Matthews announcing on Instagram she would depart midway through Season 6 because “continuing to directly profit” from what she implied were Paul’s abuse allegations “feels wrong and unethical.”
Cast members Mayci Neeley and Layla Taylor also said they were unsure whether to continue on the show after the video surfaced. Paul called out her castmates for “going at” her.
“I don’t desire to move forward like this,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday. “I originally was willing to be removed to let them all continue on with less stress and I’m back to that point. Some of the girls know what I’ve been through and then to turn and collectively pile on with their ‘statements’ knowing there has been ongoing abuse through the system the last 8 months on top of what I’ve endured. Almost the entire cast plus some, going at me… laughing about my kids is disgusting. And I bit my tongue there."
“I agree it’s to the point of bullying for months now,” she continued, referring to her castmates. “What makes it harder to take in is some of these parents have made mistakes that would result in the same judgement I’m receiving yet pointing a finger.”
The court ordered Paul to take the drug test in July, but the results were sealed until her ex-husband filed documents asking the court to unseal them on Aug. 13. The results remained private until TMZ broke the story.
Paul said that she’s grateful to remove herself from the show because the onslaught of accusations surrounding her has convinced her she’s “deserving of all this pain,” an idea she’s glad to split with.
“My question has been how much suffering and scrutiny is going to be enough,” she concluded. “I’m just relieved to be out.”
